Catching Up To The Changing Workplace: It’s Easier Than You Think

On Friday, December 4th, Citrix hosted a Twitter chat with Cali Yost, Founder and CEO of Flex+Strategy Group/Work+Life Fit, Inc. She had lots to say about the changing workplace, as well as some new research conducted by ORC International, her company and Citrix, and the things companies can–and should–do to catch up. — NL

The workplace—and the way we work—has changed.

And still, we—organizations, individuals, managers and teams—haven’t caught up to those changes, nor have we adjusted the way we think about how we get our jobs done. How do we realize the full potential of this new, more flexible work reality?

First, we have to start from the premise that flexibility is already embedded in the workplace.

Surprisingly, some of the myths about how remote workers and younger employees coordinate and communicate turn out not to be true. Remote workers are more connected than those in the office and younger employees are more likely to meet face to face:

A4: Interestingly, survey found remote workers were MORE likely than cube/open office workers to use the phone.#citrixchat

Even those of us who dedicated our lives to understanding how to help businesses and people master new ways of working required in today’s modern flexible workplace struggle. My biggest challenges when I started working flexibly included:

Because of investments in technology and collaborative, open workspaces, the workplace is, for the most part, already flexible. The question becomes how to move beyond the current ambiguity and lack of infrastructure, in order to use that flexibility to help organizations and people succeed.

To catch up, managers, people and teams need a new set up tools and skills that reaffirm organizational commitment to flexibility, leverage trust, and allow the work to get done in the more productive, efficient way.

An internationally recognized exible workplace strategy consultant, speaker and author, Cali Williams Yost has pioneered new ways to manage work, life and business in the modern economy for nearly two decades.

As CEO and founder of Flex Strategy Group/Work Life Fit— and one of Mashable’s Top 14 Career Experts on Twitter— she’s shown hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals how to partner for award-winning exible work success. Clients have ranged from Ernst & Young, BDO USA, J.P. Morgan Chase, Novo Nordisk, to the U.S. Navy and the United Nations.